Nuneaton and Bedworth’s Council Leader and the area’s two local MPs have hailed the government announcement of £1.5mn from the Pride in Place scheme for Nuneaton and Bedworth in North Warwickshire to breathe new life into neglected high streets and town centres.
The Pride in Place scheme will see 330 towns, many of them in former coalfield areas, receive targeted funding to reverse 15 years of decline and Conservative cuts to local authority budgets. The money, to be spent over two years, forms part of a massive government programme to transform left-behind towns across the country.
In addition to the new funding, the Pride in Place programme will hand communities unprecedented new powers to seize boarded-up shops, create new spaces for young people, save derelict pubs and libraries, and block gambling and vape shops on their high streets.
The government’s policy paper states: “The launch of this Pride in Place Strategy is another step in this direction, developed in consultation with the communities impacted. It represents a break from the past, a new way for government to work in partnership with communities and neighbourhoods, empowering them with the tools and levers to drive meaningful change that reflects their priorities.”
Pride of Place funds will restore community pride
The money will support work already underway by the Borough Council to restore community pride in Nuneaton and Bedworth’s town centres, including initiatives to tackle empty properties. £20mn of government funding will also support the regeneration of Bedworth, as well as the newly announced £20mn funding for Camp Hill, and the new Bedworth Physical Activity Hub.
In addition to new funding, key measures in the ‘Pride in Place’ programme include:
- Community Right to Buy: handing local people the power to buy beloved assets, helping them turn around derelict pubs, create new parks, and regenerate treasured spaces in the heart of their communities.
- Compulsory purchase powers: allowing communities to acquire assets and eyesores like boarded-up shops and derelict abandoned businesses, allowing new local start-ups to thrive. Larger sites could also be used for new health facilities or housing.
- Power to block unwanted shops: empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops, vape stores and fake barbers.
- Giving residents the power: new measures that guarantee local community groups and organisations will be closely involved in decision-making about how government regeneration funding is spent.
Optimism for the future of Nuneaton and Bedworth
The news of funds for local communities has been welcomed by the area’s two MPs and Chris Watkins, Labour Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. He said:
Our Labour council in Nuneaton and Bedworth is working hard to breathe new life into our two towns, but for too long councils like ours have struggled under a system of ‘Westminster knows best’, when it’s local people who really know what’s best for their communities.
This £1.5 million funding boost for Nuneaton and Bedworth and the unprecedented transfer of power to local leaders shows that we have a Labour government that is not only investing in our towns again, but who know that positive change happens when it is local people who are put in the driving seat.
This sentiment was echoed by Rachel Taylor MP, Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, who said:
People in Bedworth have so much pride in the place they live, but I know how let down they feel about the state of our town after years of neglect under the last government. That’s why I am thrilled to see yet more investment flooding in that will make a real difference to our community.
“With a new leisure centre and market refurbishment already under way, £20 million through the Believe in Bedworth scheme, and now this community-driven Pride in Place funding, I am really excited to get stuck in with these transformative projects now our Labour government is investing in Bedworth again.
Jodie Gosling MP, Labour MP, the first female MP elected for Nuneaton, also expressed optimism for the area’s future:
Alongside the £20 million confirmed today for Camp Hill, this additional funding will address the issues that matter most to local residents. We’re delivering funding for long term transformational projects, and immediate work so we can speed up the revitalisation of our community. Nuneaton is on the up, and this funding goes further to restoring pride in our fantastic town.
This is an edited press release from the office of Rachel Taylor MP.
